Lily’s teacher, Mrs. Foster, asked if we would host a Chinese New Year party for her kindergarten class. Of course! we said. So Lily and I are pondering fun ways to ring in the Year of the Rabbit. We could make rabbit masks. We could make Chinese Lanterns or felt fortune cookies. We could have a dragon parade through the hallways. We could bring in farmer paintings like the one above to show the class. We’ll definitely bring Pocky.*
[* If you’re the sort of person who eats chocolate every day and you find yourself in a country that doesn’t seem to have any, you’re almost embarrassingly ecstatic when a resourceful young member of your travel group scours the local markets and finds some. And so began our love affair with Pocky. We used to make special trips to a Chinese grocery store in the city each New Year to restock the Pocky until we realized our local Cub carries it. Such a small world.]
The New Year celebrations begin on February 3rd and carry on for about two weeks. The Rabbit is said to be peaceful and calm. 2010 (Year of the Tiger) was a little ferocious now that I think about it. So. Lots of work to do, but it’ll be fun sharing our love of China with Lily’s friends at school.
Leave a Reply